When MS Dhoni stepped on the field for India’s first World Cup match of this edition, he had an army insignia on his gloves. The former captain was sporting the ‘Balidaan’ badge of the Indian Para Special Forces as he holds the title of Lieutenant Colonel in the Parachute Regimen, .
This earned Dhoni a lot of love from his fans back home, who appreciated his respect for the forces.
However, calling it against the rules, the ICC asked BCCI to get the symbol removed from Dhoni’s gloves as it is against the dress code.
For reference, the ICC’s Clothing and Equipment Rules and Regulations under G 1 says:
Players and team officials shall not be permitted to wear, display or otherwise convey messages through arm bands or other items affixed to clothing or equipment (“Personal Messages”) unless approved in advance by both the player or team official’s Board and the ICC Cricket Operations Department. Approval shall not be granted for messages which relate to political, religious or racial activities or causes.
While the BCCI’s stand on the matter is not known as of now, Dhoni’s fans, including some big names, are standing by his side and asking him to #KeepTheGlove.
However, there are also some people who are supporting ICC’s rule. This includes Baichung Bhutia, who urged Dhoni to ‘respect the sport first keeping aside everything else’:
“A player should go by the rules and regulations. If it’s against that, then Dhoni will have to remove it.